Looking to go 2-0 to start the 2013 West Coast Conference slate, Santa Clara couldn't hold on in the fifth set and fell at LMU 3-2. Set scores were 23-25, 26-24, 25-22, 20-25 and 15-6. SCU is 6-5 and 1-1 in the WCC while LMU moves to 7-4 and 2-0 in league play. Santa Clara returns home for just the second time this year with a 6 pm match vs. USF on Thurs., Sept. 25.
"I am proud of our team and how they fought and played today," said Bronco head coach Jon Wallace. "LMU served a little better than us and passed a little better than us and that was the difference in the match. We need to get in the gym and get better. We look forward to getting on our home court and playing USF at home on Thursday night. We will get better this week and we will be ready on Thursday night."
Santa Clara hit .175 with 52 kills (25 e, 154 att.). They scored 50 assists, 57 digs, five service aces, six service errors and 11 team blocks. LMU hit .262 with 70 kills (26 e, 168 att.). They scored 63 assists, 63 digs, 10 service aces, 12 service errors and 14 team blocks.
Individually four Broncos had double-digit kills. Sabrina Clayton, Haley Cameron and Nikki Hess all picked up 11 kills each. Megan Anders had 10 kills and six block assists. Alyssa Anderson had a double-double with 45 assists and 13 digs. Taylor Milton collected 12 digs and eight kills. Danielle Rottman scored 11 digs.
LMU was led by Luft's 23 kills as she hit .370 with four digs and five block assists. Litara Keil hit .385 with 14 kills and Felicia Arriola hit .143 with 14 kills. Hannah Tedrow scored 32 assists and Ashley Maxfeldt scored 23 assists. Betsi Metter had five aces and 23 digs.
Tied up five times, LMU then raced out to a 17-12 lead, scoring five straight points in the first set. The Broncos scored two of the next three points on a team block and a kill by Anders. Trading points, LMU went up 21-15 on an ace by Avery Bush. SCU called for its second timeout. The Broncos scored four straight points to pull within one, 24-23 on a team block by Milton and Anders, kills by Milton and Hess and an error by Luft. LMU called for time and first play, SCU hit it out and LMU won the first set 25-23.
LMU took an early 5-2 lead in the second set on a kill by Luft and an error by Milton. After the Broncos pulled within one, down 9-8, the Lions rallied to move ahead by scoring four of the next five points, up 14-9. The teams traded points, but LMU scored twice again to push its lead to 17-11.
The Broncos then scored five straight points with LMU calling for timeout, putting the Broncos down one, 17-16 LMU. A kill by Hess and an attack error by Suaava tied it up 18-18 and then 19-19 on a kill by Haley Cameron. The teams tied it up twice before the Broncos went up 24-23 on a kill by Anders. A kill by Luft tied it up again, but a kill by Milton and a team block by Cameron and Hess gave the Broncos set two 26-24.
LMU once again started the third set on a rally, taking a 3-1 lead on a kill by Luft. The Broncos tied it up 4-4 on a service error by Luft and an ace by Milton, 4-4. The teams were tied at 5-5 on a kill by Hess, but the Lions scored four of the next five to go up 9-6. LMU scored two of the next three to push its lead to 11-7 before Metter served it wide. The Broncos pulled within two, 11-9 LMU, on a block solo by Hess. The Lions scored four of the next six and then another point on an ace by Bush to make it 16-11 Lions before Wallace called for a timeout.
The Broncos scored three of the next four on a block solo by Cameron, an ace by Hess and a kill by Cameron. But the Lions scored three straight kills to move ahead 18-15. A kill by Clayton and an attack error by Keil brought SCU within one, down 18-17. A kill by Keil and an error by Anders put the Lions up three again, 20-17. An error by Amber Mirabello gave SCU a sideout but Luft's 16th kill of the day gave LMU a sideout. The Broncos scored two of the next three on kills by Anders and Milton to pull within two, 22-20 LMU. A setting error by Tedrow and a team block by Cameron and Anderson tied it up 22-22. Timeout LMU. In the two plays out of the LMU timeout, Ashley Maxfeldt was whistled for an attack error and then Felicia Arriola hit it out to give SCU set point, up 24-22. Suaava hit it way long to give SCU the set, 25-22. SCU won the set by scoring six straight points, including the final three on LMU errors.
The teams were tied twice in the fourth set before Arriola and a team block by the Lions gave them two points, 4-2 LMU. LMU scored four of the next six before SCU rallied to score a couple and pull within two, down 9-7. LMU scored seven of the next eight to go up 17-8. Down 18-10, SCU scored four times on kills by Anders, Hess and Cameron and an error by Keil. Back-to-back kills by Luft put LMU back up by seven, 20-13. A kill by Cameron in the middle stopped the Lions run. The Broncos kept fighting in the fourth set, scoring four of the next five to scratch back in, 22-18 LMU. Timeout LMU. The Bronco rally included a service error by Luft and back to back kills by Clayton and Anders. A kill by Arriola and SCU whistled for time, down 23-18. Milton's kill in the back row cross court gave SCU a sideout, but Arriola's kill and then attack error gave SCU the ball. A team block by Arriola and Keil proved to be set point with the Lions winning 25-20.
LMU again took the lead in the fifth set, jumping out 3-1 and then 5-2. Timeout Broncos. The two teams sided out on a kill by Hess and a service error by Milton, 6-3 LMU. A kill by Luft was matched by a service error by Tedrow, 7-4 LMU. A kill by Suaava and an error by Hess had the Broncos whistling for time, down 9-4. LMU scored five straight to secure its first match point, up 14-4. A kill by Clayton and an error by Arriola held off match point twice, but a kill by Luft finished it off with the Lions winning the fifth set 15-6.
